Immortalist Glass
by LadyGoslingGrimm
Summary: The Akatsuki began as revenge, and became the stained glass window we know it to be. No piece is the same. But together, we see the bigger picture. Moderate AU. Pairings upcoming.
1. Chapter 1: A District Built On Bones

**A District Built on Bones : Intro to Ame**

_**Two years before the Salamander Arc-**_

Two children darted to and fro in the shadows of the city. Grime smeared their faces and their rags kept getting caught on sharp corners they ran past, tearing the holey cloth even further. Ducking into a water service tunnel, the girl leaned on the wall, chest heaving to try and get more air into her small body.

"Yahiko, I can't go on anymore today. Can we please just _stop?_" she begged. The ginger haired male that was her companion, looked at the bluenette then back out into the muddy street they'd just left. The sun was barely half down below the buildings. "Konan, there's still enough light to make it to the Market." Yahiko said, pulling on his friends arm to try and get her to keep going. "But, I'm so _tired _'Hiko. Let's just…rest…" Yahiko could tell she was fading and he couldn't bear to move her if she really was feeling that bad.

They'd been travelling through the back streets of Ame for two days with little rest, and stole the food they needed from houses they passed, if there was any. They'd both skipped a few meals since the war had left them stranded and abandoned. No parents, no guardians, no anybody except the red and raw bodies that had once been human and held life. Being orphans left over from the war meant they were a sort of target. City officials had been told to gather all remaining children to rebuild the population. The Rain district had hardly won the war. But they were no worse off than any of the other participating districts. So it was only a matter of time before they got picked up and put into a home.

Shuffling behind him alerted Yahiko and he spun around to look at whatever was behind them. Beady black eyes on a fat body twitched whiskers and he breathed out a sigh of relief. "It's just a rat." He said out loud, but he caught the tremor in his own voice and shuddered, turning back to watch the entrance.

Ten minutes passed before Yahiko heard another noise behind him and scowled. "Damn rats. Leave us alone already! We're not dead yet!" Hearing just a snort in answer, he looked over his shoulder and saw a pair of ringed eyes staring at him. Letting out a startled yell, he fell back into a puddle and scrambled out of the tunnel. His yell woke Konan who looked around, trying to find the source of the commotion that had woken her.

"You may not be dead yet, but you _are _in my tunnel. And I don't take kindly to visitors, so please take leave before I remove you by force." The person belonging to the ringed eyes and annoyed voice stepped farther towards the entrance of the tunnel until he was visible. Konan stared at him, taking in the loose dirty blue robes with the white sash and his matching straight blue hair, several shades darker than hers. But what interested her most were his eyes, the white iris with light grey or purple rings that seemed so hypnotizing. His attention shifted back to Yahiko when he was done looking her over.

Looking between the stranger and Konan, Yahiko gained a pleading expression. "Can we please just stay here for the night? Konan needs to sleep." The other boy considered this before giving a shrug. "I suppose. Just be out of here by morning. I don't want word spreading that I've suddenly become hospitable." Yahiko let out a sigh he hadn't known he'd been holding in until the other said they could stay. "Thanks." He said to the back of the blue haired boy. "Nagato," Yahiko looked back into ringed eyes, "What?" he asked. Nagato smiled, the expression almost hidden behind his hair in the darkness. "My names Nagato." Before Yahiko could reply, he had gone farther into the tunnel.

Nagato sighed as he came to a relatively dry piece of the tunnel that split into three more holes in the concrete. Taking the left passage led him to an underground main passage. It was a spacious land area with more branching tunnels. Piled in the middle on top of a slightly wet sand dune were pillows and blankets Nagato had stolen to make his residence more comfortable. His spot was known to be one of the best hidey-holes in the city since it lay almost directly at the center of the district. Any inexperienced traveler to come across the tunnels would get lost immediately. Frequently, he'd had to scare off unwelcome visitors such as Yahiko and Konan. People weren't _nice _in the city heart. Every inch was fought for. Orphan or not.


	2. Chapter 2: The Winding Courtyard

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kishimoto's characters. I just like to think I do. **

**Chapter Two- The Winding Court: Children of Bloodshed**

"Yahiko, wake up."

The ginger was still asleep, dreaming about being Lord of Ame while Konan was his personal servant, at his every beck and call. "Yahiko." Dream Konan offered him a plate of cookies, smiling coyly and blushing. "For you Lord Yahiko," the dream said.

"Wake up you lazy ass!" Dream Konan suddenly turned into the real bluenette, who was roughly shaking him so hard he hit his head against the concrete wall of the tunnel. Wincing at the sharp pain in the back of his skull, he ran a hand through his hair to locate what was surely a large bump. Glaring at the very real, angry female in front of him he asked, "What the hell was that for?" Propping himself on one arm, he squinted against the bright light that seemed to radiate around Konan like a halo.

Hands on her hips, her grey eyes searched him over, looking for any sign that the knock to his head hadn't caused any brain damage. "Nagato told us last night to be out of here by morning. I don't know if you were too busy having your "Lord of the Rain" fantasy again or what but if you haven't noticed, the sun is a bit higher in the sky than just morning. I saw Nagato again after I woke up and he didn't look too pleased to see us still here. I think we should head out."

Yahiko nodded; a bit concerned that Nagato had been around while he wasn't fully awake. "Yeah sure, let's get going. Don't want to give him any reason to kill us while our back is turned." Leaning on the wall for support until he could feel his legs again, he and Konan chatted about their plan for the day. "Market. That's where we were heading last night anyways. Might as well arrive at our destination." Konan said.

Several hours later, the pair were roaming the stalls of the main courtyard in Ame, the Market. "Ooh! 'Hiko, can we get some dango?" Konan's voice was a sharp yell so close to his ear, accompanied by the dragging of his arm over to the cart that sold sticks of the sweet treat. Smiling at the almost childish delight in his friends eyes he nodded, "Sing for me Konan. Bring the children." The bluenette grinned and slowly started spinning in a circle, her voice radiating around to the crowd.

_Oh come little children,_

_Let me sing you a song,_

_Of a world with no bloodshed,_

_Where no one could do wrong. _

_The land was still peaceful,_

_The people merry and gay,_

_I'd hoped it'd stay like this_

_For such things I did pray. _

High above the courtyard, amongst twisting metal, wires, and mesh sat Nagato, whose eyes were fixed on the blue haired girl and the people around her. There were lines streaking in the crowd, where small bodies pushed their way to hear what this world of peace was. Like comets drawn to a planet with gravity, they circled until coming to a halt in front of Konan.

_But peace is not everlasting,_

_There's nowhere you can go_

_Where the earth is not tainted_

_Blood is bright in the snow. _

Noting the distracting Konan was making, Yahiko snuck around to the dango cart and grabbed a lapful of the treat. Sneaking away slowly, he straightened up to look more inconspicuous. The last notes of Konan's song trailed off and she made her way over to him. "Thought you were never going to get away from them." Yahiko said, handing her a stick of dango. Smiling, she accepted it. "It wasn't about getting away from them, 'Hiko. Some of them are orphans, just like us. They just wanted to get away from what the war left them."

The ginger opened his mouth to reply, and was interrupted by a tap on his shoulder. "Thought you'd like to know, there are ANBU heading this way." Konan looked behind Yahiko to see Nagato, dressed in a different blue robe with a straw hat dipped low to cover his face. Returning the favor, she pointed behind the two boys, "ANBU behind us as well. They really must have liked my singing." She said.

Grabbing Konan's arm, Yahiko pulled her through the still dense crowd in the Marketplace, trying to find a sidestreet to run into. In his haste, he ran into a barrel-chested man wearing red, blue, orange, and yellow robes with a straw hat similar to Nagato's, and a graying beard. "Get out of my way old man!" he snapped, trying to go around.

The people surrounding them became almost suffocatingly close and Yahiko lost Konan's arm in the mass of bodies trying, it seemed, to crush the life out of him. Moments later, he felt himself being lifted up and looked at the man in front of him, the one he'd run into. His tangerine eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open in shock. There was no _way _he'd just run into _him _of all people. What was he doing here without his guards? His ANBU? Oh but wait, that's who was holding him up wasn't it? His ANBU guards, protection for the Lord of the Rain, Hanzo the Salamander.

Nagato had been a few paces behind Yahiko and Konan when he'd seen the Salamander Lord. The connection clicked instantly in his head. Why else would there be ANBU out on the streets on a seemingly normal Market day if _not _to protect the leader of the district? Turning around, he made to walk in the opposite direction of the masked guards when he ran straight into the one behind him.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here. Nagato. Seems like we've been running into you all over the place." Wincing a little as the wolf masked member clamped a hand on his arm, he quickly glanced over his shoulder to see the others being moved along with the Salamander before being shoved backwards roughly and spun around, the vice-like grip now on his right arm. "Don't worry _Ring King _you'll see your little friends soon enough."

The last thing Nagato heard was the man's harsh laughter before darkness swallowed him.

**AN: This is the end of the Pre Arc. Next is the Salamander Arc. This might go pretty slow since I'm making this up as I go. **

**Thanks for reading. Oh and don't be shy, please review. It makes me happy. ~Blair **


	3. Chapter 3: A Salamanders Fire

**A/N: This begins Part One: Salamander Arc. There's a 2 year time skip between the last chapter and this one. The Ame Orphans are now all 10. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! ~Blair**

**Also: Kishimoto owns this series. NOT me. Spoilers for latest chapter as of 08/29/12 below in authors note.**

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**Chapter 3: A Salamanders Fire**

"So what do you want to do after we get out of the Academy, Yahiko?" Nagato asked the ginger beside him at the table. It was lunch and they were grabbing a bite to eat before heading to the Study Hall to find Konan.

"Dunno. Kinda want to be Lord of the Rain, but it's a stupid idea. There's no way Hanzo will ever get defeated in battle and it'll be too late for me by the time he dies of old age." Yahiko sighed, poking at the green leafy things on his plate. Nagato raised an eyebrow and turned his body more towards Yahiko so that he was straddling the bench.

"Don't be so sure. Hanzo is getting old-"Yahiko cut him off with a snort, "Please Nagato. Thirty is hardly old enough to start retiring." Nagato rolled his eyes, "I'm just saying. Your idea isn't stupid, Yahiko. At least not as stupid as me dreaming of ruling the world. Have you ever known anybody who actually _accomplished _that?" Nagato argued.

Yahiko just blew a long breathy sigh out in response, grabbing his mostly untouched plate and heading to the trash line. He made a beeline straight for the study hall after they left the café. Nagato, not really so much in a hurry to see Konan, strolled along, occasionally looking out a rain splattered window.

When they got to the doors marked with grey clouds, they pushed past and into the library.

Sitting amongst piles of scrolls and open books was a slightly more sophisticated Konan then the one Nagato had met 2 years before in the pipes of Ame's slums.

Her hair, now wrapped up in a bun instead of falling loose around her shoulders, sported a white origami rose she'd made a few weeks after they'd joined the Academy. It was now a permanent part of her somewhat _revealing _entourage that drove Nagato to distraction.

Most of her new outfit consisted of fishnet. Long black fishnet sleeves under a high collar, long blue tanktop and fishnet fringed shorts that rode up on her pale white legs.

That was where Nagato happened to be looking when Konan noticed them. Crossing her legs, she met his slightly widened eyes and panicky expression before she turned her attention to the abnormally quiet Yahiko who was standing in front of the table she was at.

"Hey guys, what are you up to?" Yahiko's expression brightened considerably at her voice. "Oh nothing, just seeing what you were up to." He said, pushing aside a few scrolls and books to sit on top of the table. He opened one and read it, glancing at Konan curiously. "More origami? Konan, what are you going to do with this? Papercut someone to death?" he laughed and set it down.

She stared at him, "It's a possibility 'Hiko. If I had enough paper." She said, completely serious.

"Konan," Nagato jumped into the conversation, his earlier embarrassment gone after he'd though about something else besides his friend's skin. "Hm?" she replied in acknowledgement. "What do you want to do when you leave the Academy?" he asked, repeating the same question he'd asked Yahiko moments ago. Leaning back in her chair, Konan's eyes gained a half glazed look as she stared at the ceiling.

The doors to the library banged open again and two ANBU entered the room, heading for the three children.

"Yahiko, Nagato, Lord Hanzo would like to speak with you about your training. Please come with us."

All three of them stood and the crane mask held out a hand to stop them. "Konan, your instructions are to remain here. These scrolls—" he pulled two out from his bag and handed them to her. "—are for your research." Konan, respectful as always, nodded and murmured a quiet "thank you" to him, placing the old scrolls on top of the open book she'd been reading.

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_**AN: It's currently raining here. Also the chapter...OMGWTF KISHIMOTO?!**_

_**(SPOILER ALERT)**_

**Honestly, I have to say I already suspected it was Obito because of the spelling in Tobi's name. I mean seriously. Who doesn't get that? **


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